Morning journal and courier., 1887-03-09
WANTED A LEADER
For the Democratic Majority in the
 Next House of Representatives.

For the Democratic Majority i'm the
 Next House of Representatives.
 WASHINGTON, March S.-The Star this evening publishes the following reflections of a Congressman on Democratic and Republi- can leadership in the next House:
 "The next House will be mere plaything in the hands of the Republican leaders," said Democratic member of Congress as he sat almost alone in the deserted hall of the House looking over the empty seats about him. "Goodness knows this House was bad enough in all conscience Everything went to the bad as far as the party was concerned for,want of a leader. But the -Fiftieth Con- gress will come in with two thirds of the Democrats new men and am told that the personnel is weak. There have been some few of the old members of former years who have been out for a time returned. There is Buckalew and there may be few other experienced m en, but the great mass of the members elect are utterly new without experience or reputation. The party promises to be weakened, even beyond its present condition. Unless someone devel- ops very suddenly as @ leader Tom Reed will make toy of the party and twist it into all sorts of shapes for the amusement of the public. In this matter of leadership the Re publicans stood in bold contrast with the have got more unqualified recognition as a leader than did Reed. When Congress be- gan there was 8 sharp controversy between him and MT. Hiscock for the leadership and then came Long, Butterworth Bur rows and Cannon in sharp rivalry for the same distinction. Fer 8 while all these men would jump to their feet at once when there was a call for defense of their party or declaration of party policy. Reed would rise in his place, Hisoock would jump up behind him and the rest would walk down his aisle to the front, but Reed had such way of shouIdering everybody aside and planting himself in square defiance of the majority that everybody else looked small beside him and besides he had facul- ty of talking back not possessed by any of his colleagues. By the last of the Congress nobody disputed his right to rule the roost. Even the Democrats got so they would not attempt to take him from the floor. If he did not abuse them so I should expect the next thing to see the Democrats following him. But more seriously, there is no pros pect of our having leader wbo can meet him on the floor. I won't say anything about the leadership of this Congress.
 FATAL FIRE IN NEW YORK. Many Persons Thrown From the
 Elevated Road and Three men Killed.
 NEW YORK, March S.-A fire occurred at 5 o'clock this morning in the store of Nicoll, the tailor, in the Bowery. Before the fire was extinguished it caused loss of between $50, 900 and s6O, 900. The trains on the Ele- vated railroad were 5lockaded by the down to South Ferry and on the down track 1p to Seventeenth street. A number of passengers left one of the trains at Seventeenth street and started to walk along the narrow footpath at the side of the track to the station at Fourteenth street. While doing so the blockade was relieved, and the trains began to start. Their motion shook the pathway to such an extent that number of passengers were thrown down to the street below; three of these were instantly killed, and seven others badly wounded. When the 7 o'clock train came to 8 standstsll between Fourteen tn and Seventeenth streets, @ man named Patrick Matthews of Ar East Twenty fourth street, who was standing on the platform of the third car, opened the gate and got out on the narrow platform. He started to walk to the Fourteenth street station and was followed by a number of men who were anxious to get to their work. When within fifteen feet of the station, the train started. Mathews was panic-stricken, and supposing | that he was going to fall off the platform to | the street below, he clutehed hold of the man who was standing beside him and they
 
 killed The other men became panic strick- | en and jumped into the street. Ths greatest | excitement spread among the passengers, and it was as much as the train hands could do to keep them in the cars and to prevent | them from jumping from the train. A ru- | nor was circulated that 8 collision had oc- cured. The women in the cars screamed and tainted. At last the train was brought | to the station and most of the passengers l got off and took the surface cars down town. It was nearly o'clock before the blockade l was lifted and the trains were run on regular | time. The distance whiUh the men | fell was about twenty feet. A policeman was standing at the corner | at the time, and as soon as he saw what l had occurred he sent in ambulance calls. In | five minutes there were six ambHlances at | Fourteenth street. The dying and wounded | were taken immediately to the New York. Bellevue and St. Vincent's hospitals. The l killed were Patrick Mathews; an unknown man fifty years of age. The third man was also unknown. He was sixty five years of age.
 | The wounded were George Mccartney, in l jured in the hip and back; Robert Shoe maker, both legs broken; William Kennedy, back and side injured James Lyons, arms,
 back and side injured; Joseph E. Girandln, general contusions; Emil Weller, head frac tured; an unknown man, forty years old, ln
 ternally injured.